Aleks Emelianenko Barred From Fighting in US?

Aug 6, 2008 8:29 AM John Chandler

Aleksander Emelianenko. Photo courtesy of MFC M-1.

Those hoping to catch Aleksander Emelianenko fighting at Affliction’s upcoming next event in October might have to wait a bit longer to see him fight. Ever since he was reported to have failed to meet California licensing requirements prior to his scheduled fight against Paul Buentello last month, rumors have been frequently circulating that Emelianenko may have tested positive for Hepatitis B, a claim that the Russian’s camp has strongly dismissed.

However in a recent interview on Wrestling Observer’s Figure Four Daily radio show, California State Athletic Commission representative Bill Douglas reportedly stated that Emelianenko was not cleared to fight in the state and will not be by any other state athletic commission in the country.

“The one thing that I can absolutely say is that he was not and will not be cleared to fight in California.” Douglas said on the radio show. “He is officially licensed denied and that will stand for all of the United States of America”.

While Douglas refused to elaborate on the reasons behind Emelianenko’s licensure denial due to privacy issues, one has to assume that something serious is keeping Fedor’s younger brother from being able to fight here. MMANews’ Chris Howie points out that it might not be Hepatitis B after all due to the fact that Aleksander was permitted to fight Dan Bobish at a Hardcore Championship Fighting event last fall and that the province of Alberta will not let a fighter compete without passing strict blood tests.

Comments

Could this once again be a result of that past armed robbery felony conviction in Russia? Could Affliction not have done its background and figured that it might be a problem if it is indeed the issue? This is very interesting and could even be a blow to seeing Fedor fight more in the US. I hope not, but with Fedor&#8217s management, it wouldn&#8217t surprise me.